On July 31, The closing ceremony for first phase of WIPO-Tongji Master Degree Program in IP Law (with specialization in Design)& The Belt and Road Master Degree Program in IP was held at the Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property (SICIP) of Tongji University. Chen Qun, deputy mayor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government; He Zhimin, deputy director of the State Intellectual Property Office; Chen Hongbing, director of the China Office of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); Joseph Bradley, head of the Education Project of the WIPO Academy (WIPO Academy) and Fang Zhiming, Chairmanof  Tongji University Council attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Zong Ming, deputy secretary-general ofShanghai Municipal People's Government; Ji Xiaoye, deputy director ofShanghai Intellectual Property Administration; Lei Xinghui, vice president of Tongji University; and Yang Weiren, director of the International Exchange Division of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission attended the ceremony. Prof. Straus, former director of the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law, and experts and scholars in the field of intellectual property in academic institutions and governmental and judicial  departments, such as Fudan University, Shanghai High People's Court, Shanghai Intellectual Property Court, Shanghai Patent and Trademark Law Office, also attended the ceremony.

On behalf of the Shanghai Municipal Government, Chen Qun congratulated the students on their successful completion of the project and affirmed the achievements of Tongji University in the construction of intellectual property discipline. He emphasized that intellectual property, as an important measure for the country's opening up to the world, plays an important role in building a globally influential science and technology center and an Asia-Pacific intellectual property center in Shanghai. It is hoped that the SICIP will continue to actively explore in personnel training, discipline construction, and international cooperation. The municipal government will also coordinate all aspects of resources and actively promote the construction and development of the SICIP.

On behalf of the State Intellectual Property Office, He Zhimin congratulated the students and pointed out that the State Intellectual Property Office actively promoted pragmatic cooperation with countries along the “Belt and Road” and participated in and supported the WIPO-Tongji University Master Degree Program in IP Law. He told every student that as the first beneficiaries of related programs, everyone will become friendly messengers of exchanges between China and other countries, and he hoped international students will cherish the friendship they got in China, continue to strictly demand themselves, study hard, and make further progress.

On behalf of Tongji University, Fang Shouen expressed his congratulations on the successful completion of the courses study by the students and expressed his gratitude to the government leaders, teachers and experts who care about and support the construction and development of SICIP. In his speech, he stated that China's intellectual property industry is developing rapidly, and Shanghai is promoting the construction of a globally influential science and technology center and a global city of excellence, which has provided unprecedented opportunities for China's intellectual property and talent development. Under the guidance of WIPO, the State Intellectual Property Office and the Shanghai Municipal Government, Tongji University will continue to promote the SICIP to become ahigh-end talent training base for international intellectual property talents.

On behalf of the WIPO Academy, Joseph Bradley thanked all the teachers and students of the SICIP. He spoke highly of the intellectual property presentation of the students in the closing ceremony seminar. He pointed out that the mission of the WIPO Academy was to promote intellectual property higher education in developing countries, least developed countries and countries in transition. The Tongji University programwill make an important contribution to IP education and help WIPO achieve its goal of IP career construction. He emphasized that it will continue to strengthen good cooperation with the State Intellectual Property Office, Shanghai Municipal Government and Tongji University.

On behalf of China Office of WIPO, Chen Hongbing believed that the WIPO-Tongji Master Degree Program in IP Law is an important symbol of good cooperation between WIPOand Shanghai Municipal People's Government, opening a new chapter in the history of the WIPO Academy. Tongji University has invested a lot of resources in the program, and WIPO will continue to support the development of the program in terms of personnel training and cooperation. He pointed out that the program has great development prospects and hopes that Shanghai government will continue to give greater support to this project.

Yang Jing, a student representative of the WIPO-Tongji Master Degree Program of IP Law, thanked the WIPO project for cultivating students' open minds, inclusive spirit and the ability to embrace multiculturalism, and giving an opportunity for students to grow, learn new skills and new knowledge. Villarey Danilo III, a student representative of the The Belt and Road Master Degree Program in IP, said that he is very happy to have the opportunity to participate in the “Belt and Road” program. After returning to homecountry, he will spread the knowledge of the forefront of intellectual property to colleagues and benefit more people.

Afterwards, the government leaders representatives and distinguished guests presented the course completion certificate to the students and took a group photo.

As one of the universities in China to carry out in earliest times intellectual property talent training and discipline construction, Tongji University is at the forefront of the internationalization of intellectual property education. In November 2016, with the support of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the Shanghai Municipal Government established the “Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property” (SICIP) based in Tongji University. At present, the College has a WIPO-Tongji Master Degree Program in IP Law with specialization in Design,and The Belt and Road Master Degree Program in IP supported by Chinese Government, recruiting global scholars and officials engaged in intellectual property research and practice as program students. After completing the first phase of the courses at Tongji University, the international students of the two programs will return to their countries to continue the second phase of thesis writing. In addition, SICIP has established close cooperative relations with international academic research institutions such as the Max Planck Institution, Munich University (LMU) and Florence University of Italy, and is committed to cultivating high-level, multi-dimensional and international high-end intellectual property talents and contributing to China’s wisdom and China’s plan for the transformation of the intellectual property system under the new technological revolution.